Dirty Harry (C5) [Panavision] - 16:9 but of course! Didn't ITV have this one (along with TCM on sat)?

Thanks for all the responses to my enquiry, especially this one. I coulda sworn the music I heard in the brief snippet I saw was by Goblin, but as I say, I haven't seen any version of the film for about 10 years now, so my ears really did deceive me.

I like the film, but not as much as DAY OF THE DEAD, whereas most diehard Romero fans tend to view it the other way around (if you see what I mean).

And even though it wasn't shown until the wee small hours of the morning, at least we got an uncut version of Dawn on the Beeb. I remember Day receiving its uncut terrestrial TV premiere on C4 on Boxing Day (!!), quite a few years ago. Now there's a Xmas treat for the uninitiated! Imagine if granny set the DVR for a documentary on Perry Como and ended up recording THAT instead!!!...

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)


Scope and 3-D films released on UK Blu-ray (26 November - 2 December):

• Agneepath [अग्निपथ] (2012)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) [3-D]
• Annie (1981) [Panavision]
• Brave (2012) [3-D]
• Cane Toads: The Conquest (2010) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Cocktail [कॉकटेल] (2012)
• Death Proof (2007)
• Dial M for Murder (1954) [WarnerVision 3-D] [1.85:1]
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)
• The Funhouse (1981) [Panavision]
• Inglourious Basterds (2009) [Panavision]
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
• Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
• The Last of the Mohicans (1992) [Panavision]
• Magic Mike (2012) [Hawk Scope (HD)]
• Magic to Win [開心魔法] (2011) [Fake 3-D! AVOID!!]
• Pulp Fiction (1994) [Panavision]
• Reservoir Dogs (1991)
• Sanctum (2010) [Fusion 3-D] [1.85:1]
• True Romance (1993) [Panavision]


Scope and 3-D films released on US Blu-ray (27 November - 3 December):

• The Apparition (2012) [J-D-C Scope / Panavision]
• Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - The Egg of the King [ベルセルク 黄金時代篇Ⅰ 覇王の卵] (2012)
• Lawless (2012)
• Men in Black 3 (2012) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• ParaNorman (2012) [3-D]
• Sparkle (2012)
• Step Up: Revolution (2012) [3-D]

They've always shown them 16:9. I'm slowly making my way through the Blu-ray boxset


Now completely uncut according to its re-rating last year?

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/FVF065215

This doesn't surprise me. James Ferman had bogus reasons for altering the film, and I imagine most drugs counsellors thought it was an idiotic decision in the first place. Most of that man's reasons for censoring things were knob-headed anyway, to say the least.

# Ding! Dong! The knob is dead! #

The link doesn't work... what was cut from it?

It wasn't 'cut' in the traditional sense. The close-up of a needle being inserted into someone's arm during a drug session was reframed so you couldn't see the needle entering the skin. Ferman thought the whole scene 'glamourised' drug-taking, so he opted to take the edge off things in this stupid manner.

Apparently, virtually everyone else in the whole world was immune to the effects of this close-up, because we were one of the few countries on the face of the planet to censor the material for this reason. Ferman always believed the British were somehow a breed apart, much more amenable to filmmakers' wicked intentions than anyone else. Which suggests that British people are morons who can't tell reality from fantasy and that our system of film censorship renders us superior to other countries which fail to 'protect' their citizens from 'potentially harmful' material.

Patronising, racist, offensive - take your pick of adjectives, they all apply in this case.

Damn Ferman, screwing with the link from beyond the grave!!!


It was really crap. They cropped the original image to 4:3 so you saw the right-hand side of the image (away from the needle, as Libretio says) and then for the eventual widescreen video (and DVD), they cropped that image further to a 2.35:1 ratio. Just completely mental.

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)

* = May not be screened in all areas (check your local listings).

Scope and 3-D movies across the Freeview platform for the coming week (1 - 7 December):


Saturday (1 December)

• Catwoman (C5)
• Crash (Film 4)
• Ghost Busters (5*) [Panavision]
• Hellfighters (More 4)[Panavision]
• The Hunt for Red October (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Italian Job (More 4) [Panavision]
• The Phantom of the Opera (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Scary Movie (E4)
• Serenity (ITV 1)*
• Star Trek (C4) [Panavision]
• Superman (C5) [Panavision]
• Tekkonkinkreet [鉄コン筋クリート] (Film 4) [CGI]
• Westworld (BBC 1) [Panavision]
• The X Files: I Want To Believe (C4)


Sunday (2 December)

• 2 Fast 2 Furious (ITV 2)
• The Big Picture [L'Homme qui Voulait Vivre Sa Vie] (BBC 4)
• Jack Frost (C5) [Panavision]
• Magnum Force (C5) [Panavision]
• The Nativity Story (Film 4)
• The Phantom (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Pushing Tin (Film 4)
• Rooster Cogburn (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Rush Hour 2 (C5) [Panavision]
• Star Trek: Insurrection (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Superman II (C5) [Panavision]
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Film 4)
• The Thing (ITV 4) [Panavision]


Monday (3 December)

• The Barbarian and the Geisha (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• The Comancheros (C4) [CinemaScope]
• Copycat (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Mad Money (Film 4)
• State of Play (ITV 1) [HD / Panavision]*


Tuesday (4 December)

• The Enemy Below (C4) [CinemaScope]
• Hitman (Film 4)
• The Thing (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Transsiberian (BBC 1)


Wednesday (5 December)

• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (5*)
• Die Hard With a Vengeance (BBC 3) [Panavision]
• The Hunt for Red October (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Inside Man (ITV 1)*
• Mother [마더] (C4) [Hawk Scope]
• Never So Few (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Sink the Bismarck! (C4) [CinemaScope]
• Transformers (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Untraceable (C5)
• Wanted (ITV 2)


Thursday (6 December)

• Baarìa (Film 4)
• Babylon A.D. (Film 4) [Super 35 / Panavision]
• The Black Windmill (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• The Hills Have Eyes (E4)
• The Untouchables (Film 4) [Panavision]


Friday (7 December)

• 2 Fast 2 Furious (ITV 2)
• The Bank Job (More 4)
• Basic Instinct (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Comanche Station (C4) [CinemaScope]
• Fight Club (Film 4)
• Godzilla (5*)
• Hellfighters (More 4) [Panavision]
• Panic Room (Film 4)
• The Phantom (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Scary Movie (E4)

There mustn't be a decent widescreen print of THE KEEP in circulation because the version premiered on Film 4 on Friday night was cropped to around 2.00:1. I've only seen bits of it so far, but the picture quality seems to leave something to be desired, too.

discussed here

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1765116

JACK FROST got its OAR terrestrial premiere on C5 earlier today, while THE NATIVITY STORY was cropped/reframed to buggery on Film 4.

Westworld (BBC 1) [Panavision] in bog standard 1.85:1, slightly worn print to boot.

1.85:1 or 16:9?

/pedant

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)

Some cheapskate US distrib is putting out a series of 25 spaghetti westerns on a single Blu-ray (!) next week, but they've so far refused to name all but a tiny handful of titles. FACE TO FACE is a bona fide 'scope' film, while the others are LOLA COLT (1967) and Kill Django, which is very likely KILL DJANGO... KILL FIRST (Uccidi Django... Uccidi per Primo!, 1970). Both of these were shot either 1.66:1 or 1.85:1, so they're ineligible for this list, but the fact that so little info for this release has been given ahead of time suggests 'Rip-Off' of the very highest order. If the full list becomes available later, I'll include them in another post further down the line.

The version of APOCALYPSE NOW being released in the UK today includes the original theatrical version along with APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, the extended edition released in 2000.

And the Lord of the Rings films being put out yet again on BR are the extended versions. So at least there's an excuse for this umpteenth airing, besides the impending release of the new film...


Scope and 3-D films released on UK Blu-ray (3 - 9 December):

• Apocalypse Now (1979) [Technovision]
• Batman Begins (2005) [Panavision]
• The Bourne Identity (2002)
• The Bourne Legacy (2012)
• The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
• The Dark Knight (2008) [Panavision / IMAX] [2.39:1 - 1.44:1]
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012) [Panavision /IMAX] [2.39:1 - 1.44:1]
• Dream House (2011)
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
• Golmaal 3 [गोलमाल 3] (2010)
• Hope Springs (2012)
• Housefull 2 [हाउसफुल 2] (2012)
• Inception (2010) [Panavision / Super Panavision 70]
• Insomnia (2002) [Panavision]
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• Memento (2000) [Panavision]
• Mr. India [मिस्टर इंडिया] (1987) [Anamorphic]
• Ready [रेडि] (2011)
• Rockstar [रॉकस्टार] (2011)
• Step Up 4: Miami Heat [Step Up: Revolution] (2012) [3-D]
• Tetro (2009)
• Zombie Flesh-Eaters [Zombi 2] (1979) [Techniscope]


Scope and 3-D films released on US Blu-ray (4 - 10 December):

• The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005) [Reality Camera System 3-D (partly)] [1.85:1]
• Batman Begins (2005) [Panavision]
• Butter (2011)
• The Dark Knight (2008) [Panavision / IMAX] [2.39:1 - 144:1]
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012) [Panavision / IMAX] [2.39:1 - 1.44:1]
• Face to Face [Faccia a Faccia] (1966) [Techniscope]
• Gamera the Brave [小さき勇者たち ガメラ] (2006)
• Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2003) [Reality Camera System 3-D (partly)] [1.85:1]
• Up (2009) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Wu Dang [大武當] (2012)

I'd be interested to hear waht else is on there. There's a lot of space in 50Gb, and I can still remember when Home Entertainment mocked up a single DVD cover with the first three Tarantino films on there


Isn't this just a repackaged version of the one which came out in June last year?

Either way, it's good to be in the original, and correct ratio.


Why they BR'd the regular versions when all fans would want the extended ones was just stupid.


I presume TDKR is like TDK where the Blu-ray has the IMAX version which opens up, albeit to 16:9 rather than 1.44:1, but that would lose the effect if it was pillarboxed.

Shame that Prometheus doesn't have an IMAX version. I loved that. It was a combination of cropped and opened-up, sort-of like the 2.35:1 version in a way

I've seen some IMAX 3-D documentaries on Blu-ray which crop the 1.44:1 image to 1.78:1, which wasn't too ruinous, though I'd still prefer the full image as seen in IMAX cinemas.

THE KEEP turned out to be even more horrendous than I thought - image quality was appalling. Then, just to add insult to injury, the closing credits were cut off halfway through, without explanation.

Not only did THE FEAR turn out to be terrific drama (cue Bafta's and Emmy's for Mr. Mullan!), it also demonstrated some of the most dynamic and creative uses of the scope frame I've seen in some time. Symmetry and composition were clearly a factor, wobble-cam was largely avoided, and most of the closeups had a very real dramatic purpose. Good stuff, shot digitally with Arri Alexa cameras, so I'm told.

Oh, and kudos to C4 for screening this over 4 nights rather than 4 weeks. Much better that way, I think.

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)

* = May not be screened in all areas (check your local listings).

Scope and 3-D movies across the Freeview platform for the coming week (8 - 14 December):


Saturday (8 December)

• 30 Days of Night (C4)
• 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Film 4)
• Alien³ (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Becket (BBC 2) [Panavision]
• The Black Windmill (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Film 4) [HD]
• Die Hard With a Vengeance (BBC 3) [Panavision]
• Ever After (Film 4)
• Godzilla (5*)
• The Nativity Story (Film 4)
• Predators (C4)
• The Relic (BBC 2) [Panavision]
• Superman II (C5) [Panavision]


Sunday (9 December)

• Alien: Resurrection (Film 4)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (E4)
• The Expendables (C5)
• Failure to Launch (Film 4)
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (C4) [Panavision]
• Grounded: Unaccompanied Minors [Unaccompanied Minors] (C5)
• Hot Fuzz (ITV 2)
• Jack Frost (C5) [Panavision]
• On Deadly Ground (ITV 4) [Clairmont Scope]
• The Quest (ITV 4)
• Sommersby (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Superman III (C5) [Panavision]


Monday (10 December)

• Catwoman (C5)
• Die Hard (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Enter the Dragon (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Hart's War (BBC 1)
• Major Dundee (C4) [Panavision]
• Mercury Rising (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (C5)
• Pathfinder (Film 4)
• The Remains of the Day (Film 4)
• Step Brothers (5*)
• Wanted (ITV 2)
• Warlock (C4) [CinemaScope]


Tuesday (11 December)

• The Bank Job (More 4)
• Billy Rose's Jumbo (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Quest (ITV 4)
• Transformers (Film 4) [Panavision]
• War (5 USA)


Wednesday (12 December)

• 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Film 4)
• The A-Team (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (BBC 3)
• Ever After (Film 4)
• The Expendables (C5)
• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (5*) [Freddy-Vision 3-D (partly)] [1.85:1]
• Gladiator (ITV 2)
• The Silent Enemy (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• Unleashed [Danny the Dog] (ITV 4)


Thursday (13 December)

• The Bounty Hunter (C4) [WarnerVision 3-D] [1.85:1]
• Constantine (C5)
• Failure to Launch (Film 4)
• Jackie Chan's First Strike [First Strike] [警察故事4之簡單任務] (ITV 4) [Technovision]
• On Deadly Ground (ITV 4) [Clairmont Scope]
• Panic Room (Film 4)
• The River Wild (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Sliver (Film 4) [Panavision]


Friday (14 December)

• Australia (More 4)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (E4)
• Death Drums Along the River (Film 4) [Techniscope]
• Disclosure (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Hot Fuzz (ITV 2)
• Lake Placid (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Mad Max 2 (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Storm Over the Nile (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• The Tall Stranger (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• X2 (5*)

Yes, there were so many great shots here, and it was also better to see it over 4 nights. Wish they'd done that with Secret State, but then I felt that lost its power early on simply due to the ad breaks as they killed the tension. As it went on, it got a bit tedious anyway, even with the presence of Gabriel Byrne, but Peter Mullan was on top form as ever.

Someone wrote into Radio Times moaning, "Why did C4 stick black bars over Secret State in a pretence to be arty!!?"

When I first saw a drama shot that way, I thought it slightly odd, but then in reality it's done to give it a certain look, just as a film would do, and if you can make a great fist of it then go with it.


Yes, it'd be nice to see the full thing, although I can understand why they go with 16:9. Seeing the opening of TDKR again, I don't think its lost anything by being cropped to 16:9 from 1.44:1.

On another IMAX thought, while I can't find Life of Pi as having any IMAX connection, I'm sure I saw something that said it'd be shown in IMAX unless I just presumed it, given how it'll rely on sumptuous visuals. Anyone know if it is?

Alas, even if it is, it'll get knocked off the screen with IMAX films Hobbit and Les Miserables being around during its cinema lifespan.

Apologies if we covered this a bit ago, but is this likely to be in 2.35:1? Obviously, the trailers never help for C5 films because they're all in 16:9, but the one for this looks more zoomed in than that given how bad it looks, especially with Sly, Bruce and Arnie in the church.

BBC2 tonight are showing LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY in a cut-down version - one hour on TV when it was two hours in the cinema and presumably on Blu-ray and DVD. It was shown in Scope in the cinema, but I don't know whether it will be shown that way on TV or if it would be opened up to 16:9 or something.


I don't think it's being shown in IMAX - certainly not at the BFI IMAX in London at least. AFAIK it's in 1.85:1.

According to the Big Movie Zone website (the online Bible for Large Format cinema), LIFE OF PI has indeed been converted to Digital IMAX (no 70mm version, I'm afraid) and will be screening that way across the world. Though maybe not in the UK.

LIFE OF PI in IMAX


With C5, it's completely hit and miss as to what ratio the film will be shown. You gets yer beers, you puts yer feet up, and you takes you chances when the broadcast goes live...


Aha! That's one I missed from this week's listings. Again, it's anyone's guess whether the Beeb will show the film as intended.

BECKET got its OAR terrestrial premiere on BBC 2 this afternoon. Very handsome it looked, too.